Set Your Heart
by YanksLuver
Summary: Response to a challenge. Missing scenes from 'Truth Be Told'. The moment Syd and Vaughn met. The day that watch stopped.


Title: Set Your Heart  
  
Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)  
  
Category: Romance/Drama  
  
POV: Vaughn  
  
Spoilers: "Truth Be Told"(Season 1), "The Passage - Part1"(Season 2)  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.  
  
Disclaimer: Alias and its characters do not belong to me. I do this out of a love for the show and no infringement is intended.  
  
Summary: A challenge fic. Missing scenes from 'Truth Be Told'. The moment Syd and Vaughn met. The day that watch stopped.  
  
Note: This is in response to the August fanfic challenge at SD-6.com. The requirements were to write a missing scene (or scenes in this case, which is also permitted) or post-ep vignette from a season one episode, include an injury and mention the episode title somewhere. I realized a while ago that we never actually saw when Syd and Vaughn really met. The first time we see Vaughn is when he's bringing her food and coffee. And their first conversation is in his office. But they had to actually meet before that, so this is my version. And, as the summary mentions, we learn all about the moment that watch stopped. Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you thought! :) ~Steph  
  
* * * Set Your Heart: Part 1/1 * * *  
  
"Look, Weiss, I can't come over tonight. I promised Alice we'd go to some museum opening," I say, as we walk through the halls of CIA headquarters.  
  
"Museum opening? You're blowing me off so you can stand in front of some pictures that look like they were painted by a bunch of kindergartners who got into the finger paints?"  
  
"Not a fan of abstract art, huh?" I reply with a grin.  
  
"Neither are you. Seriously, man, you've got to break up with her. She makes you spend every free moment with her. You've been telling me for months that you're going to do it, so just do it. What's stopping you?"  
  
I shake my head, "I know she can be clingy at times, but...I don't know. I don't have that much free time. And Alice gets that. She understands when I have to run out in the middle of a dinner or cancel on her. It took me a while to get her to understand that, but she does now. She's the first woman who has. So I can't blame her for wanting me to spend what free time I do have with her."  
  
"So, let me get this straight, you're staying with this woman because you don't want to have to train another one?"  
  
I smile, "She's not a dog, Weiss."  
  
He shakes his head dismissively, "You know what, fine. I'll watch the 'Die Hard' trilogy all by myself. I'll say 'yippee-ki-yay, motherf***er' all by myself. It'll be fun. I do enjoy my own company. And you, my friend, can stand around with all the other fools, pretending to analyze what even most parents would be ashamed to hang on their refrigerators. Have fun."  
  
He pats me on the back and then follows me into my office. I stop abruptly when I see her, nearly causing Weiss to slam into me.  
  
I think I hear him mutter something along the lines of, "A little warning would've been nice," but I can't be sure.  
  
My attention is focused squarely on the woman who stands before me.  
  
I don't know how someone can be both breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time, but she is.  
  
She stares at me.  
  
Big, brown eyes trying to hide the pain, but losing the battle.  
  
Bright, red hair cut just above the shoulders, making a statement. What that statement is, I'm not sure.  
  
Her face is coated in smudged makeup and dirt; her squarely cut jaw bruised and swollen.  
  
Beneath it all, though, I can tell she's beautiful. Beautiful in a way I've never encountered before.  
  
She emanates both strength and fragility. Strong as steel, fragile as glass.  
  
I stand there and in that moment I know. I don't know how, I just do. I know my life will never be the same again.  
  
I don't realize I've been staring so long until Weiss nudges me with his elbow. I shake my head to clear my mind and extend my hand.  
  
"You must be Sydney Bristow. I'm Agent Michael Vaughn. Nice to meet you."  
  
Her hand slips into mine. I'm taken aback by how cold and clammy it is, but, for some reason, I don't want to let go. Fortunately, I don't have to. She lets go first.  
  
I gesture to Weiss, who's standing beside me. "This is Agent Eric Weiss."  
  
Weiss extends his hand and she returns the gesture.  
  
I offer her a small smile. "As the receptionist told you, Director Devlin is unavailable right now, so Agent Weiss and I will be assisting you." I pause and look at her, noticing how she winces every few moments and touches her jaw.  
  
I shake my head, "I'm sorry, do you need a doctor or anything? I'm not making any judgments, but you look like you've seen better days."  
  
She offers me a bitter smile. "Much better days." She then shakes her head, "What I need is a dentist, but that's the least of my concerns right now."  
  
"Maybe ice then? Or something to eat or dri-..."  
  
She cuts me off, her tone sharp, but not rude, "Agent Vaughn, while I appreciate your hospitality, it is unnecessary and, quite frankly, a waste of my time."  
  
My eyes widen at the blunt statement. I think I hear Weiss snicker.  
  
I shrug, "All right, then why don't you tell me what we can do for you."  
  
"You can make me a CIA agent."  
  
I stifle a laugh. "It's not that simple. I-..."  
  
"I know very well how difficult it is."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yes, I've been working for SD-6 for seven years. They pose as a secret division of-..."  
  
"We know who they are," Weiss interjects. "We've been tracking them for years."  
  
"Well, then you realize that I was deceived during those seven years. I thought I was working to protect my country, when I was really helping the people who aim to harm it. I was told to never tell anyone that I worked for SD-6." Her eyes move to the floor. "I made the mistake of telling my fiancé. Arvin Sloane, head of SD-6, then had him killed."  
  
I hear her voice crack on the last word. I feel an urge to reach out to her, but resist, knowing it would be inappropriate.  
  
She clears her throat and then looks up at me. The pain I saw in her eyes initially is now mixed with anger and resolve. "Soon after that, I found out what SD-6 really is. And now I want to destroy them."  
  
She's someone you believe will do exactly as promised.  
  
I nod, "All right. Well, you're going to have to write a statement. You'll have to pass the routine tests and evaluations. If we verify everything and you pass, then, well, I guess we'll be seeing more of each other."  
  
I offer her a close-mouthed smile, which she does not return. I suddenly feel a little embarrassed by my last statement and remove my eyes from hers. "If, uh, it all works out, I know you'll be of great value to us."  
  
"Thank you. I'd like to get started now, if you don't mind."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want some ice? That jaw looks pretty swollen and this could take a while."  
  
She inhales deeply and takes a step forward. Her voice emerges softly, "I want one thing, and one thing only, Agent Vaughn. I want to bring Arvin Sloane to his knees."  
  
I swallow hard, her steely tone sending shivers down my spine. I nod and gesture to the door.  
  
"You need to fill out some paperwork at the front desk before we can take your statement. When you're finished, we'll show you to a conference room where you can write your statement."  
  
"Thank you," she says, meeting my eyes once more before exiting.  
  
When she's out of sight, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I turn towards Weiss, who's standing with his hands on his hips.  
  
"Well, she's a pistol."  
  
"She's been through a lot," I reply. "I think she's just the kind of person we need in SD-6."  
  
Weiss shakes his head and laughs. I raise my right eyebrow in confusion. "What's so funny?"  
  
He alters his voice, deepening it in an exaggerated manner, "...'then, well, I guess we'll be seeing more of each other'."  
  
It's only when he's finished that I realize he was doing an impression of me. Or, more precisely, mocking me.  
  
I roll my eyes at him. "I fail to see the humor."  
  
He chuckles. "You were flirting with her, Vaughn! The woman is standing in your office, looking like a clown from hell, baring her soul and you have the nerve to flirt with her!"  
  
My eyes widen at the accusation. "I did no such thing. You're insane."  
  
"You're right. There was nothing there at all. I imagined it," he replies in a suddenly sincere tone.  
  
I eye him suspiciously, wary of the abrupt change of mind.  
  
He smiles. "Uh, Vaughn, what time is it?"  
  
I look down at my watch. "7:30."  
  
"And you have to meet Alice at what time?"  
  
"8:00," I reply slowly, wondering where he's going with this.  
  
"Oh, then you better get going if you want to make it."  
  
I sigh, realization dawning on me.  
  
He goes on, his attempt at hiding a grin failing miserably. "I mean, I can handle it from here. It's basically baby-sitting her. You can go. Have some good ol' cultured fun."  
  
I look down at the ground, "I should really stay. Just in case she needs something or has any questions."  
  
"I can get whatever she needs and answer any question under the sun," he responds, a little too helpfully.  
  
I groan and close my eyes, rubbing my hand across my forehead.  
  
He knows me too well. He realizes I'm drawn to her.  
  
I shake my head, "I think it's best-..."  
  
He smiles and pats my shoulders, "I know." He pauses and then adds, "You'd rather stare at a woman you just met for hours on end, than spend an evening with your girlfriend. What does that say to you?"  
  
I stare blankly at him, wondering the same thing.  
  
He finally grins and says pointedly, "Something tells me she's not going to be quite as easy to train as Alice was."  
  
With that, he turns on his heel and exits my office. I exhale deeply and sit on the edge of my desk.  
  
Why does everything suddenly seem so different?  
  
* * * *  
  
Hours later, I knock on Weiss's door. He opens the door and smiles at me.  
  
"What a pleasant surprise? To what do I owe the pleasure?"  
  
I shrug and smile, "I'm in a Bruce Willis mood. That is, if the offer still stands."  
  
He nods and moves to allow me entrance. I sit down on the couch and he takes a seat next to me. I lay my head back and he does the same.  
  
"So, where's Alice?" he asks.  
  
"I don't know," I reply, my eyes focused on the ceiling. "I left a message telling her I had to cancel. She never called back."  
  
"And you didn't go over there."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"You came here."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Interesting."  
  
We sit there in silence for a few moments, before I rub my eyes. I'm finally feeling the effect of the long, unsettling day. I look at my watch through half-lidded eyes. My eyes widen a bit as I stare at the still hands.  
  
I lift my hand and tap the glass. Nothing.  
  
I take it off and shake it a bit. Nothing.  
  
Weiss finally notices my actions. "What are you doing?"  
  
"My watch stopped."  
  
"When?"  
  
I look at the hands again.  
  
"7:30," I reply, but just barely.  
  
It stopped at 7:30. I didn't even realize that it had stopped when Weiss asked me for the time.  
  
It had stopped the moment I met Sydney.  
  
"So it stopped hours ago and you're just noticing now?"  
  
"I was...busy."  
  
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him smile, "Yeah, busy."  
  
I look at the watch again. The words come out of my mouth without my even realizing it. "It belonged to my father. When he gave it to me, he said, 'You could set your heart by this watch.'"  
  
I speak so softly, I'm not even sure Weiss hears me.  
  
Apparently, he does, because he chuckles and replies, "You seem to be in perfect health to me. It doesn't look like your heart stopped, too."  
  
I run my thumb across the smooth glass and speak quietly to myself. "Yes, it did."  
  
"What?" Weiss asks, as he tilts his head towards me.  
  
"Nothing," I reply, placing the watch back on my wrist. "Let's start the movie."  
  
He nods and gets up, walking over to the DVD player and popping in the first one of the trilogy. He sits back down next to me, resuming his relaxed position.  
  
We both stare straight ahead at the television.  
  
Weiss speaks after a few moments, his eyes never leaving the screen. "I don't know, man. There was something about that girl. It feels like things are about to change."  
  
I reply simply, never meeting his eyes, "I think they already have."  
  
* * * *  
  
Truth be told, I didn't think it was possible.  
  
You hear people speak of 'love at first sight' all the time. And I just never understood it.  
  
How can you fall in love with someone you don't know? Love is about getting to know the person, sharing parts of yourself. I've heard people say it, but I never understood what they meant...until today.  
  
When people say love, I don't think that's really what they mean. Not truly, because to know someone is to love them. Conditionally, unconditionally, whatever. Love...real love...is about knowing that person.  
  
I think it's more about a feeling. Something inside of you clicks and you just...know.  
  
I knew the moment I met her. Something inside of me clicked and I just knew.  
  
I knew I was meant to love her.  
  
That's what 'love at first sight' means to me.  
  
It's about knowing.  
  
It's about meant-to-be.  
  
And it's possible.  
  
I have the watch to prove it.  
  
************************************THE END*************************** Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what thought! :) ~Steph 


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